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Career

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipLower pressure

What they do

Compile and record employee time and payroll data. May compute employees' time worked, production, and commission. May compute and post wages and deductions, or prepare paychecks.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $58,260 Median per year · $28.01/hr Most earn $39,500–$81,350

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Complete, verify, and process forms and documentation for administration of benefits, such as pension plans, and unemployment and medical insurance.
  • Train employees on organizations' timekeeping systems.
  • Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
  • Complete, verify, and process forms and documentation for administration of benefits, such as pension plans, and unemployment and medical insurance.
  • Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.
  • Compile statistical reports, statements, and summaries related to pay and benefits accounts, and submit them to appropriate departments.

Job outlook

United States
16% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 11,400 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services9.1%
  • Management of companies and enterprises8.3%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals4.9%
  • Elementary and secondary schools4.7%
  • Temporary help services4.2%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks usually start after a certificate or apprenticeship and some office experience. Most people spend about 2 to 4 years in related clerk jobs before taking this role, so it's rarely an immediate first job out of school.

  1. High school diploma, plus a bookkeeping or accounting certificate

    6 months to 1 year after high school

    Learning basic bookkeeping, spreadsheets, and business math gives you the foundation for handling pay and time records accurately.

  2. Office Clerk, General

    1-2 years

    Working as a general office clerk teaches you filing, data entry, and record-keeping, which are the everyday skills payroll work depends on.

  3. Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk

    1-2 years

    Handling accounts, invoices, and ledgers builds the number accuracy and money-handling experience that payroll employers look for.

  4. Payroll and Timekeeping Clerk

    Career

    You compile employee hours, calculate wages and deductions, and prepare paychecks or payroll records.

Where it can lead

  1. First-Line Supervisor of Office and Administrative Support Workers

    2-4 years as a payroll and timekeeping clerk of experience first

    You move from doing the work to overseeing a team of clerks, checking their accuracy, and handling schedules and training.

  2. Administrative Services Manager

    4-6 years in supervisory or office roles of experience first

    You manage broader office operations, budgets, and staff, which usually takes several years of supervising and proven organizational skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take business, math, and computer classesCourses like accounting, business math, and spreadsheet skills build the exact skills payroll clerks use every day.
  • Join a business or finance clubClubs that focus on business teach teamwork, presenting, and basic money concepts that employers value.
  • Get a part-time job that involves handling money or recordsA cashier or stockroom job shows you can be accurate and trustworthy with numbers and details.
  • Volunteer to help with a school or community group's moneyHelping track dues, ticket sales, or fundraising gives you real practice with records and budgets.

In college

  • Take accounting or bookkeeping coursesIntroductory accounting teaches how wages, deductions, and payroll taxes are recorded, which is central to this job.
  • Build advanced spreadsheet skillsLearning Excel formulas and data tools helps you calculate hours and pay quickly and accurately.
  • Look for a campus job in an office or business departmentWorking in a school's billing, payroll, or front office gives you hands-on experience with records and deadlines.
  • Pursue a bookkeeping or payroll certificateA certificate is the typical education for this career and shows employers you have formal training.
  • Apply for an internship in HR or accountingAn internship lets you see how payroll fits into hiring, benefits, and company finance.

Tips for getting started

  • Get comfortable with spreadsheets, especially Excel, because most payroll work is done in software and spreadsheets.
  • Look for a part-time job that involves handling money or records, like a cashier or store stockroom job, to build accuracy and reliability.
  • Ask whether a local employer offers an apprenticeship or on-the-job training in bookkeeping or payroll, since that can count toward the certificate.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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